Lycanthropy
by XxLostGirlXx
Summary: Bella is thrown into the supernatural world when she is bitten by a Lycan. After being sent to Forks by her mother she embarks on a journey that will test not only her beliefs but her resolve. Along the way she meets her mate and the very person that turned her is now posing a threat to both of them. Bella&Alice
1. Chapter 1

A/N – So some of you may recognize this story, I've finally gotten around to re-writing it. A few things may change throughout but hopefully you will all still show it support.

Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight or any of its characters (this will be the only disclaimer for the entire story)

I

I watch the sun setting from my position atop the old wooden windmill. Since I've been a little girl my father would bring me out here, we use to watch the sunset whilst he would tell me stories of a supernatural world that was right under everyone's noses. At the time I consumed the words like any young child would, what should have frightened me somehow instead engrossed me in the possibilities of what could be.

The thought that you could live forever, live a life without fear or retribution is one that every human being wishes for at some point in his or her lives. He would tell me tales of vampires, werewolves and witches.

But when my father disappeared into thin air, the stories were the last thing I wanted to hear. I began to hate the very thought of them, I couldn't however stop coming here. There is something so serene about this place that no matter how mad I am at my father I still come here every Sunday.

Shivering I wrap my jacket around myself more before standing up, the sun must have gone down at least thirty minutes ago seen as the sky is now pitch black. Sighing at the prospect of my mother grounding me for being late again, I begin to make my way down the rickety ladder and start on my journey home.

Whilst I walk my mind inadvertently flickers back to my trek here and the dead carcass of a deer I found, a huge chunk was missing from its mid section, whatever animal killed it must have been huge if its bite was anything to go by. Why I'm thinking of this now is beyond me, but as I walk further into the forest I cannot help but think that maybe I should have gone with my first thought when I found the thing and just turned around and walked home.

But its too late for that now, so I dig my hands down into my pockets and turn my head from side to side frequently as the light from the moon throws off eerie shadows in the forest. I jump in fright when I see a huge form flicker past me, blinking quickly I sigh in relief when all it turns out to be is a branch from a tree innocently moving in the nights breeze "Man I'm such a pussy" I whisper to myself, but I quicken my pace anyway, just wanting to get home by this point.

I suddenly stop dead in my tracks though as a howl reverberates across the forest, my heart thumps in my chest as I quickly look around, my mind racing with possibilities of what it could be. When I see nothing I take a deep breath and watch as the fog I've created dissipates in front of me. Shaking my head I begin to walk again, conscious of the fact that I'm still twenty minutes away from home and I can't shake the feeling that I'm being followed.

Breaking into a jog I try to make as little noise as possible, but the branch littered ground doesn't help matters as a persistent cracking noise sounds with every step I take. As I reach the a small hill I quickly scramble my way up it, laughing in quiet relief as I see the lights of my town a short distance away. Just as I take the first step towards the heavenly inviting lights however, I feel a strong push in the small of my back, and suddenly I'm falling.

Crying out in pain I tumble down the hill, hitting tree stumps and rocks on the way down. And with one final sickening crunch my world suddenly goes black.

Groaning I sluggishly raise a hand to my throbbing head, my fingers fondle with my damp hair before coming to find purchase on what feels like an enormous lump. Hissing in pain I bring my hand back down and open my eyes slowly, quickly closing them again however when everything begins to spin. Taking deep breaths I wait a few minutes before trying again, and then I hesitantly start look around.

From what I can make out I'm in some kind of barn. Rays of moonlight flitter through the rafters and dance across the old oak beams, a rusting tracker stands idle directly in front of me and bales upon bales of hay are stacked up against the walls. Glancing behind me I see that my back is propped up against a support beam _'how the hell did I get in here?' _I think to myself as I dig my hand into my pocket; trying to ignore the fact that my hand is covered in blood, I fumble my phone out a moment later "No signal" I slur as my eyes begin to feel heavy again.

As I look up my stomach begins to heave when the room spins violently, and then, almost as though it had just appeared from nowhere, there is a dark figure standing a short distance away.

I watch helplessly as its shoulders begin to rise and fall like it is somehow getting more pissed off with each passing moment. I open my mouth to scream as it nears me, but all that reaches my ears is a strangled cry that wouldn't alert someone even if they were standing right outside. My vision begins to blur and I actually welcome the darkness, before I lose complete consciousness however I feel a rush of warm air pass across my neck, the smell of wet, putrid fur and a metallic scent that makes my nose burn.


	2. Chapter 2

II

I open my eyes but quickly close them again, groaning from the bright light that shines from above and directly into my eyes. I listen to the sound of a continuous beeping that is coming from a machine on my right, gouging that its my heartbeat I come to the conclusion that I must be in a hospital.

Opening my eyes again I look around the room, it was basic, just the bed which I'm currently lying in, a table in the corner which is accompanied by two chairs, a portable television and lastly a big comfy looking grey chair that is next to my bed. The four walls are all painted an identical boring grey with a few paintings of various scenes hung on them.

I turn my head towards the door; which is slightly ajar, when I hear my mothers voice as she speaks to someone. For some unknown reason I can tell that they are further down the corridor from my room _'that's weird, should I be able to hear them from this distance' _I think to myself with a frown, shaking my head I decide not to dwell on it and listen into my mothers conversation instead.

"Your daughter is very lucky Miss Higginbotham, the head injury she sustained would have been life threatening if she hadn't have gotten here sooner. It does seem however that her injuries were already healing when you brought her in" the man I quickly figured out to be my doctor says, and I didn't need to see his face to hear his questioning tone on the last part of his statement.

"What exactly are you trying to suggest?" my mother asks defensively, which I cant blame her for because as far as I'm aware the man just accused my own mother of doing this to me.

"I'm sorry, its just hard to explain how she has overcome her injuries so quickly" he backtracks but its too late, the damage is already done.

"I'm not entirely sure what you're saying, are you accusing me of something?" when the doctor begins to sputter what can only be described as utter nonsense, another voice cuts in and saves him from his continued embarrassment.

"Renee my dear, why don't you go and check on Isabella and I will clear everything up here" I recognise the voice immediately as Father Jameson's, I wonder what he is doing here _'Oh man was he here to read my last rites?' _

"Father I would like to know what he is suggesting"

"I didn't mean anything by it Miss Higginbotham, I was just intrigued but I'm sorry if I caused you any offence" the doctor apologises; I listen with a smile as my mother huffs out her annoyance, but she doesn't do anymore than just that. She walks into my room a short while later, a look of shock spreading across her face when she sees that I am awake. She rushes over to me and hugs me to her carefully.

"Oh thank the lord you're awake sweetie" she is sobbing uncontrollably by this point and I'm having a hard time understanding her between all the hiccups. I take her hand in mine and give it a squeeze, but as I do I feel my hand tighten painfully. Lifting my hand above my mother so I can see I notice that I have a bandage wrapped around my hand that reaches just below my elbow. As my mother pulls away and takes a seat in the chair beside my bed, I look down at my body. I'm dressed in the typical hospital gown, a blanket covering me from the waist down; I take in what injuries I can see. Apart from the bandage on my right arm, I'm covered in cuts and bruises on the left, reaching a hand up I feel what I think is another bandage on my neck.

"Be careful Bella," my mother says softly.

"What happened?" I ask, wincing as my voice comes out in a rasp. Before my mother answers she rises from her seat and goes over to the little table, which has a jug of water and a stack plastic cups resting atop it. Pouring a cup she walks back over to me and holds it to my lips. I take a quick sip and sigh with relief as it runs down my dry throat.

"You must have fell and knocked your head, the police say that when you were unconscious an animal must have happened by you"

"Animal" I whisper as a blurry image of the figure from the barn suddenly comes rushing back to me.

"They seem to think a wolf, you were so lucky Bella," she cries again whilst sinking back down into her seat "what have I told you about going out there alone"

"I'm sorry" is the best answer I can come up with "where did they find me?"

"Brooke River" frowning I watch as she wipes her nose with a tissue. The river is five minutes away from the windmill; I had travelled all the way to town only to end up straight back there.

"Mom I wasn't at the river"

"What?" she asks in confusion.

"She must be confused Miss Higginbotham" turning my attention towards the door I see Jackson Wainwright who is the nephew of Father Jameson. His dark brown hair, which falls just below his ears, blue eyes and strong jaw line, would and have enticed many girls at our school.

With me though it was one of those old tales people talk about, he wants the very thing that he can never have "could I have a private word with Isabella please?" he asks my mother, she looks between us for a brief moment, a slightly puzzled expression on her face which soon enough turns to one of pure excitement.

"Of course dear" she gushes before winking at me and leaving the room. Great now she is going to think that something is going on between the two of us, but little does she know that he is absolutely not my type.

Sighing at the prospect of having to put up with her asking questions for the next few weeks I turn to look out the window. Its raining outside again, which isn't unusual in Seattle, but somehow the rain settles me, there's just something so tranquil about being inside whilst it is dark and gloomy out.

"I don't understand, how did I end up at the river?" I ask not only him but also myself, he sighs whilst taking my mothers seat. I cringe slightly when he takes my hand in his and I have to fight every impulse to snap it back away from him, because my mother is not the only one that wants us to be a couple.

"Isabella there are many things that you do not know and its all for a very good reason, but I am afraid you have been dragged into this" I turn my attention back towards him as he speaks.

"I'm not sure I'm following, what happened to me?" he pulls his hand away from me sharply and gets to his feet, he starts to pace back and forth at the end of my bed, mumbling things under his breath angrily. I watch in confusion as he continues this for a few minutes before he comes to a stop and begins to stare out the window "Jackson" I mutter as I myself begin to get a little frustrated, I needed answers not all this cryptic shit he is pulling right now.

"For centuries we have been keeping track of them, making sure that they stay away from town and don't kill anyone like last time" he looks my way, sadness pouring from him in waves.

"What exactly are they?"

"Lycan's Isabella" he says gravely. When he says that word it strikes a cord in me somewhere deep in my consciousness. I've heard that word somewhere before, my father use to tell me tales of a great war between vampires and lycan's. That was just a tale though, they weren't real they couldn't be. But then the memories come floating back to me, the barn, the blurred figure approaching, the smell of its fur and the warmth of its breath encasing me.

I sit up straight, panic beginning to take place of all my rational thinking. That thing bit me, what was supposed to be an animal bite turned out to be a freaking werewolf. I start to rip out the wires that are attached to my arm, I need to get out of here in case it comes back "Isabella you need to stay in bed" Jackson urges as he rushes back around to my side, I feel him lay a hand on my shoulder and apply pressure as he tries to get me to lay back down. But amidst all the panic it wasn't him I was seeing, no it was that thing coming at me again. I push back against him, grabbing his arm and twisting it away from me.

I'm faintly aware as he calls out for his uncle and not a moment later Father Jameson walks into the room in his black cassock. He is a man of about sixty years of age, with grey receding hair, black-rimmed glasses that are halfway down his pointed nose. Every time I see him on a Sunday at church he smiles at me warmly, but in this moment he wears a frown, obviously not approving of me man handling his nephew.

"My dear Isabella you need to calm down" I stare into his blue eyes panting, and I can feel the beads of sweat running down my forehead from the exertion of fighting off Jackson. Suddenly feeling tired I slump back into the bed breathing heavily "good, now let us explain what happened" Father says calmly as he walks to the end of my bed; Jackson now sitting down at my bedside again.

"Explain? Jackson just told me I was attacked by a werewolf!" I reply incredulously, how are they so calm about this?

"Lycan Isabella" Jackson mutters.

"What?" I snap, my head whipping around to look at him so fast that I swear I hear a crack.

"Just, they, their lycan's not werewolves" he stutters.

"I don't care what they are Jackson that thing could have killed me" Father Jameson coughs into his hand, effectively getting both our attentions.

"Jackson perhaps you should wait outside" the boy quickly rises to his feet and rushes out the room so fast that I hardly even saw him move.

"Father please I don't understand, I mean lycan's, really? And why has my mother been told a different story?" I watch as he comes around my bed and perches himself on the edge of it.

"We are unable to tell your mother for obvious reasons Isabella. But as for what happened, the barn you were in belongs to Robert Booth, we had reports that a lycan was in the area and when his cattle began to act strangely he called us right away"

"How many people know about them?" I ask; ignoring the slight scowl he gives me for interrupting him.

"If you would let me explain" I nod my head, bidding him to continue "we have a small group of people that know of their existence, we have protected the town for hundreds of years, but that is not important right now. You see you were unconscious in the barn, once it realised we were there it fled but…it was able to bite you before we could stop it. I'm so sorry my child," he whispers gravely, the way he is acting its almost as if someone has died.

Frowning I look down and begin to play with my bed sheet "How bad is it?" I mumble hesitantly, almost not wanting to know the answer as much as I did.

"Very, I am afraid that you have been infected by the lycanthrope virus" I begin to cry even though I still do not fully understand the consequences of what he is saying. Deep down however I knew exactly what they were, my father used to tell me that once you are bitten by something supernatural you become the very thing that they are "you will transform into a lycan when the next full moon arrives"

"When?"

"In ten days" in ten days I will become a monster like that thing, this cannot be happening. The image of the figure appears again and suddenly I can't breathe, my chest feels like someone is physically pushing down against it. Gasping for air I begin to claw at the sheets, I watch helplessly as father pushes the emergency button above me. I hear the door burst open and then the doctors rush in just as my vision begins to blur around the edges.

"Breathe Isabella" a nurse commands "that's it in then out" I continue to breathe into the oxygen mask and slowly my heart starts to slow and my vision steadily returns "good girl, now that was a panic attack so you need to try and stay calm, your body has been through a lot of stress these past few days so just relax" the other nurses leave the room steadily but one stays to check my blood pressure and run tests.

Looking over at Father Jameson I ask the all important question "So what now?"

"We have planned for you to go live with your uncle in Forks Washington"


	3. Chapter 3

III

Its been three days since Father Jameson told me I would be going to live with my uncle in Forks, and still I was not happy about the idea. I mean how am I supposed to stay with someone that I don't even know. I have seen my father's brother a total of two times and both of them I can hardly remember.

On the upside though I got out of hospital two days ago, the doctors are still baffled as to how I'm healing so quickly. When I asked Father Jameson why I was recovering at a faster speed than normal, he told me that it could have something to do with the lycanthrope virus.

The bite on my shoulder is not healing well however, plus it looks so disgusting. There are four puncture wounds from its fangs, two large ones that start where my neck joins my shoulder, and then two slightly smaller just below my collar bone. It's a constant reminder of what has happened to me, like if my mind can somehow get away from the attack for a few minutes I will catch a glimpse of it in the mirror, or it will suddenly give me sharp stab of pain. The bite is most painful at night as well; it feels as though my entire arm has been set aflame. The first few nights I had to jump into a freezing cold shower to try and numb the pain, now I just try and grit my teeth and bare it.

To say I've been finding this hard to deal with is a huge understatement; in less than a week I will be a lycan. Just saying it in my head chips away at me to no end, and every night I cry myself to sleep, but even then I am haunted by the figure in my dreams.

No one can answer my questions either, or if they can they just don't want to tell me. My main worry is when I do change will I want to attack innocent people, or come to think of it, will I even have control over my body.

My ticket to Washington has been booked for tomorrow, and since this is my last day before leaving I was for some reason invited to this old run down eighteen hundreds house in the middle of the woods. From a young age children are told by their parents to not come here because it is unsafe. Standing in front of it now I can see what they mean, the whole right side of the building has collapsed in on itself and the rest of the house isn't fairing much better.

Jackson had got me here by saying he had something to show me, by the state of the place though I'm starting to have second thoughts "Come on" he urges from beside me, I watch for a moment as he steps over a small three foot wall; completely disregarding the front door that is somehow still standing. He waves his hand when he realises that I haven't followed and I sigh whilst making my way over to join him.

As we make our way further inside he starts to climb up a small mound of rocks, and as we slide down the over side I spot a wooden hatch in the ground "What is that?"

"It's what I wanted to show you," he says whilst reaching a hand into the top of his shirt, producing a golden key seconds later he goes to work on the lock. Once opened he stands back up straight and gestures for me to go down first. Hesitantly I begin the short descent into the ground, stopping when my foot hits the last step.

"Jackson?" I ask nervously into the pitch-blackness of the room.

"Right here" he whispers in my ear; making me jump in fright as he flicks the light switch on. I step away from him and into the now illuminated room, and what I'm looking at can only be described as a frigging army infantry bunker. I look around in mild awe but also horror, who are these people? There are guns, spears, axes, crossbows and some sort of intimidating machine set up against the back wall.

"What is it?" I ask whilst pointing at it.

"This is a re-loader machine for making bullets" he answers whilst making his way over to it "we make our own to keep as much of low profile as possible" I watch as he runs a hand across it; almost lovingly. Nodding my head I make my way over to a workbench that is littered with silver arrow tips. I go to pick one up but Jackson quickly reaches forwards and grabs my hand "lycan's are susceptible to silver"

"What will happen if I touch it?"

"Most likely it will burn, but if enough of it was to get into your bloodstream however then it can kill you"

"Great, guess that's one more thing to add to list then" I mutter angrily under my breath as I move away from him "why exactly have you brought me here?" I question. Rounding on him I watch as he shifts nervously from one foot to another, he breathes out a laugh; almost like he's contemplating something foolish in his head, before running his fingers through his hair.

"I just thought that you should see this place" I know its not really what he wants to say but his words for some reason make me angry.

"You thought I should see the place where you kill my kind" I hiss through my teeth.

"Your kind?" he seethes as he pushes my advancing body away from him. I blink away the fog that has descended upon me when his words register, did I really say that?

"I need to get out of here," I mumble, turning on the stop I quickly make my way up the steps, over the mound of rocks and back out into the forest. Once there I take a deep breath and let the calmness of the forest relax me. Jackson comes out a few minutes later and takes a seat on a log that's just outside the house, sighing I make my way over to him and sit down.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask, breaking the tranquil silence.

"Yeah of course"

"Why haven't any of you killed me?" I whisper.

"Why would we do that?" he counters whilst turning his body around to face me.

"Because I'm a lycan now, and you kill them so why not me?" I glance up at his frowning face, but when he catches me looking he smiles softly and leans forwards to once again take my hand. In the back of my mind I note that he is doing this quite a lot now, and even though I don't like it all too much I haven't been pulling away.

"You aren't just any old lycan, you are Isabella Swan. We failed to protect you from that thing; you are in this position because of us. It would be wrong to just take the easy way out and kill you, especially when it isn't your fault in the first place"

"I don't want to hurt anyone Jacks" I suddenly cry, my bottom lip beginning to tremble.

"You wont" he reassures with a squeeze of my hand, I watch through tear filled eyes as he slowly begins to lean in towards me. Amidst all the confusion I don't register his intentions until he closes his eyes and puckers his lips. Just as they are about to connect with mine I duck my head and quickly jump up.

"What the hell are you doing?" I screech in fury.

"I thought that this is what you wanted," he says with a slight frown on his face as he stands up and steps towards me. He places his hands on my waist and tries to pull me against him.

"Jackson" I plead whilst trying to push him away from me, when he doesn't budge though I begin to panic "please"

"Come on Isabella" he husks, skimming his nose up my throat. I hold my breath as his cheap cologne invades my senses, and squeeze my eyes shut when his lips press against neck "I know you want this as much as me"

"No" I whimper before his hard lips press against mine roughly, and it's as if the kiss ignited a fire within me. I feel a deep growl resonate throughout my entire body, and I'm only half aware when Jackson cautiously backs away from me with his hands held up in front of him.

Images of me ripping him limb from limb flash before my eyes, my mouth watering at the prospect of tearing his flesh away from his body piece by agonising piece for even daring to touch me.

"Isabella please"

As if I'm slowly waking from a dream I blink my eyes furiously, I frown at Jackson's trembling form before quickly turning on my heel and running as fast as I can home. The images continue to bombard me whilst I run and I cant stop myself when I begin to sob, why am I am having these thoughts I ask myself, but more importantly why am I enjoying them? Its like my mind is egging me on, goading me almost "You know you wanted to" a voice says inside my head.

"Shut up"

"Its not too late to turn around" it says, taunting me with an image of Jackson advancing towards me.

"Go away" I breathe out as I quickly enter my house and head up the stairs to my room, once there I close the door behind me and sink to the ground with my head in my hands "leave me alone" I sob uncontrollably.

"Pathetic" the voice snarls before I feel it leave me. After a few minutes I crawl to my bed and collapse on it, my eyes begin to grow heavy and I welcome the peaceful slumber they promise as I close them. One question runs through my mind before I completely lose myself to sleep though 'what was that voice?'

XXX

I check my ticket for what feels like the hundredth time as we wait for my check in to open in Seattle Airport. My Mother, Father Jameson and Jackson are here waiting with me. After yesterday Jackson has not yet spoken a word to me and it's a good job too cause I'm definitely not in the mood to deal with his bullshit. My mom has been crying on and off and Father Jameson has more or less kept quiet the entire journey and time here.

As I look around I catch Jackson looking my way; which I'm positive he has been doing all day "Something the matter Jackson" I growl under my breath so that only he can here.

"No" he mutters before looking wildly around the airport for some sort of distraction. I frown when his eyes seem to light up, following his gaze I quickly find what he is looking at 'Riley's Comic Store' "I'll be back soon" I shake my head at his stupidity, its almost as though he's expecting me to burst into my lycan form and attack him. However appealing that idea may be I was not yet an animal, I had six days left of at least being a little bit human.

"Isabella may I have a word?" Father asks, not waiting for a reply he walks out of my mothers earshot and I slowly follow after him "here you go" he says handing me an envelope with my name scrawled across it in scruffy writing "Quinn will be your mentor of sorts, he will arrive in Forks two days from now. His phone number is in there so remember to call him on Monday and arrange to meet him"

"Ok" I say as I fold the envelope and stuff it in my back pocket. I glance over to my mother who has now taken a seat in one of the aisles, sighing I make my way over "you alright?" I ask whilst sitting next to her.

"I think so"

"I won't be gone for long, I just need to get away for a little"

"I know my dear," she says patting my leg. We sit there in silence for a short while until the announcement comes over the intercom 'Flight 198 to Washington now checking in'

"Well that's me" I say as I stand up and give my mom a hug, I turn towards Father Jameson and hold my hand out towards him, smiling he shakes his head before pulling me into a hug.

"Good luck Isabella," he whispers before letting me go, nodding I turn and head over to check in. Before walking into the boarding area I take one last look at my mom and wave goodbye to her.

To kill the fifteen-minute wait I still have until boarding I head into the restroom to freshen up. Looking into the mirror I contemplate my appearance, my long dark brown hair is in its usual un-kept style; like I've been running my fingers through it all day. My light green eyes stare back at me, my mom has always said that they are my best feature, but I think she says that because they are the only thing I've inherited from her.

I have started to notice some subtle changes in my features over the last few days; my jaw line has become stronger, nose straighter and my lips more round and plump. Since I still don't know the full effects of the virus I'm putting these changes down to that. I run my hand through my hair again sighing, apparently I was getting taller as well. Before this happened I was 5'5 now I am easily two inches taller, plus what little muscle I had before is now becoming more defined.

I'm pulled out of my mental musing by the announcement for boarding. The flight to Washington DC takes roughly five and a half hours, and I was trying to sleep but since I got stuck next to a woman with a toddler who is constantly screaming that was out of the question. After about an hour of this I was starting to get angry and almost like it was out of nowhere I hear a growl in my head. Suddenly I'm aware of all the sounds around me, almost like someone abruptly turned the volume up in the airplane. I can hear the repetitive sound of someone chewing gum, a woman tapping her foot against the seat in front of her and a couple having an argument about whether the man is flirting with a stewardess or not.

Feeling myself get worked up I try and relieve the tension by rubbing my temples and taking slow even breaths. It starts to work but then of course the child next to me starts another round of screaming. Deciding that I need to calm down and quickly I grab my bag from under the seat and pull out my iPod, shoving my earphones in I press play and lean back into my seat, closing my eyes. The music calms me for a few minutes until it abruptly cuts off, frowning I look down at my iPod and sigh as the battery symbol flashes up at me tauntingly.

"Jesus" I exclaim a little too loudly, the woman next to me; who is currently trying to control her child, looks at me like I'm someone who's lost their mind "what?" I snarl, my top lip curling over my teeth.

"No-nothing" she stutters, the fright in her voice quickly making me snap out of my red mist. Standing up I rush to the restroom and lock the door, taking a few quick deep breaths and looking at myself in the mirror.

"Shit" I mutter when I see that my eyes are no longer their usual green but instead an impressive bright blue "come on Bella calm down" I say as I turn on the tap and wash my face. I watch the small droplets of water drip off my nose for a few moments before daring to look back up. Laughing in relief when I see that they have turned back to normal and that I haven't just wolfed out in a tin can full of people.

"You wont be so lucky next time" the voice snickers in my head. Choosing to ignore it I walk back out and right into a young stewardess.

"You alright, you look a little pale," she asks with a crease in her brow.

"Yeah I just have a headache and the kid next to me wont stop screaming"

"Ah ok follow me" she says, a smile on her face as she walks to the back of the plane where I am relieved to see there are no children "there you go, what seat number where you in?"

"14B"

"I'll just go get your bags for you" when she returns two minutes later she hands me my backpack before leaving again in a rush.

"Thank you" I mumble under my breath as I lean back in my seat and look out the window, eventually falling into a peaceful slumber.

XXX

My connecting flight to Forks takes around two hours; once I arrive I grab my bags and head outside into the freezing cold. Drawing my jacket around myself more I look out for Charlie, he's the Chief of Police or something along those lines at least. Glancing down at my watch I see that's its already gone 5 o'clock so he should be here by now "Isabella over here" turning towards the voice I see my uncle Charlie still in his uniform, waving at me as he stands beside his cruiser.

He looks the same as he does in the photo's my mom sometimes shows me, except for the fact that his black hair and beard now have a few flecks of grey in them. Stopping in front of him he pulls me into an awkward one armed hug "good to see you Isabella" he says before releasing me.

"You too, and its just Bella" I huff, I've had to put up with everyone calling me Isabella back home and no matter how many times I've asked my mom if I can shorten it she refuses.

"Ok then, just Bella it is" she chides with a smirk "here let me take your bag, you get in the cruiser and get yourself warm" handing it to him I walk around to the passenger side and get in, leaning forward I crank the heater dial up.

"Is it always this cold?" I ask with a shiver when he gets in and pulls out of his parking space, looking over at me he begins to laugh.

"Thought you'd be use to this sort of weather"

"Yeah well its never this cold" I mutter shortly, effectively ending the conversation and the rest of the journey was made in silence. It feels like only a short while later when Charlie pulls up into his driveway. Leaning forward so that I can see better out of the windshield, I observe the house. From the look of it it doesn't seem that bad, the two-storey house is painted a light fading blue, which is slightly peeling off in certain areas. An upside down fishing boat is lying idle at the side of the house with a somewhat rusted red ford pick-up truck beside it.

"Here" Charlie says from beside me, I open my hand and he drops a set of keys into them "the pick-ups not much but it will get you to and from school"

"I don't know what to say," I mumble as glance over at him.

"You don't need to say anything, it was your dads you know" blinking I quickly look up at the truck before getting out and heading over towards it "he would have wanted you to have it"

"Thank you"

"Come on lets get you inside" he says whilst resting his hand on my shoulder and steering me towards the house. Walking into the little passageway I take my shoes off and head into the small but homely living room. Family pictures fill the walls, and just after a quick glance I can see that there is a few of me amongst them. I turn to take in the rest of the room, there's an old worn brown three-seater settee and an equally used armchair in the corner. From the setup of the room I can tell that the focal point is the 42-inch TV that is mounted on the wall "right well I'll let you get unpacked, your rooms in the same place as before, first door on your left"

"Ok" I say as I grab my bags and head upstairs, but I quickly stop halfway when Charlie calls my name "yeah"

"Do you by any chance remember Billy Black?"

"The name rings a bell, why?"

"Well he's having a bonfire tomorrow night and we've been invited, do you want to go?"

"Yeah sure why not" I say with a shrug of my shoulders before continuing upstairs.

**A/N – So I just want to ask you guys a quick question. Who do you think should be Leah's mate?**

**If you can spare the time please leave a review and thanks for reading.**

**XxLostGirlXx**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – Thank you for the reviews and your ideas on who Leah's mate should be. One of you has mentioned someone and I really like the idea of them together so again thanks.

IV

Its Saturday evening and I'm currently getting ready for the Black's bonfire at the Reservation "You ready Bella?" Charlie bellows from downstairs for what must be the third time.

"Yeah two minutes" I shout back whilst grabbing my leather jacket. Walking over to my bedside table I grab my keys and phone before making my way downstairs. I smile at Charlie as I reach the bottom of the stairs and bend down to quickly put on my sneakers "I'm ready" I say as I straighten back up.

"Bout time" he grumbles under his breath as he grabs his keys from the bowl that's on the cabinet near our front door. We make our way to the Reservation in near silence, once again Charlie has decided to drive the cruiser and man do I feel like some sort of criminal in this thing.

"So?" he asks all of a sudden.

"So?" I reply with a slightly dumbfounded expression on my face as I glance over at him. I wouldn't admit this, but I kind of like being here with him, even if it's only been a day he somehow makes me feel safe. I watch as he looks my way, a worried expression crossing over his features before he quickly masks them and turns back to the road.

"How are you? I got a call from this Jameson fellow but he was a bit vague about what happened"

"I'm ok, its just a few scars so there's no need to worry," I mutter, trying to shrug it off because I don't want to talk about it anymore. I have done enough talking over the past week to last me a lifetime.

"It's my job to worry Bella," he states crossly and I sigh at the tone in his voice before turning to look out the window. Winding it down so I can get some fresh air and ready myself for the bombardment of questions I'm about to receive. Leaning my head out the window slightly I instantly get hit by the most god-awful stench.

"What is that smell?" I cry out whilst quickly covering my nose with one hand and winding the window back up with the other. I listen as Charlie sniffs the air before speaking.

"I don't smell anything," he states whilst glancing over at me "you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I mumble quietly with a frown as I turn back to look out the window. How come I can smell it and he cannot? And as if to make matters worse the stench is getting worse the further we drive. Plus I keep getting this little twinge in the back of my mind, almost like I know I shouldn't be here.

"You shouldn't" the voice whispers menacingly.

"Shut up" I sneer in my head.

"Don't say I didn't warn you'

"We can go home if you want" Charlie suddenly says from beside me. Glancing over at him I shake my head. I know how excited he is about tonight, he's been badgering me to hurry up for the past hour so I don't want to ruin the night for him.

"I'm fine Charlie"

"Ok but the minute you want to leave just come and get me"

XXX

Finally we pull up outside what must be Billy's place. Opening my door I step outside and quickly steady myself as the smell overwhelms me. I stand there for a moment, trying to get my bearings before I go any further.

Charlie is already walking away from me and around to the back of the small red house, which has an equally sized garage attached to the side. Before Charlie disappears from my line of sight however he looks over his shoulder and beckons me towards him "I'm coming" I mumble to myself.

Joining him in the back yard not a minute later my eyes quickly train onto the huge raging bonfire. There are pockets of people all over the place but Charlie leads me over to a middle aged man in a wheel chair, who's long black hair is covered by a light brown cowboy hat "Billy you remember Bella" he introduces and I smile whilst accepting the hand Billy is offering.

"Nice to see you again Billy" I greet despite not remembering him at all.

"You too Bella, my boy Jake is around here somewhere. JAKE" he shouts whilst looking around the back yard him.

"Yeah" a gruff voice that makes me wince asks from behind me. Looking over my shoulder so I can catch a glimpse of the boy, I see that he is kind of attractive if that's what you go for, his tanned skin and long black hair is just like his fathers.

"Why don't you show Bella around" his father asks.

"Ok" he says with a smile and we begin to make our way over to a bunch of people who are roughly my age. We stop at an old picnic table and I sit down opposite two baby faced boys "Bella this is Quil and Embry, guys this is Bella" Jake introduces whilst taking the seat beside me.

"Hi" I mumble quietly

"So where you from Bella?" Embry asks before taking a sip of his drink.

"Seattle, but I'm originally from here"

"My dad said we use to play together," Jacob says and I nod my head as I remember Charlie saying something similar to me earlier on in the day.

"I don't really remember much about this place"

"Well we can show you around, it doesn't look like it but Forks has some pretty cool spots to hang out" Embry reels off enthusiastically. I genuinely smile for the first time since I've been here when Quil nods his head in agreement.

"I'd like that" we continue to talk for a little while about the places we could visit and we are just about to arrange a time and place when a loud commotion from the front of the house catches our attention.

I watch as two large muscular men, both with short black hair and tanned skin, walk into the back yard laughing and play fighting. Straight away I get that nagging feeling again when my eyes rest upon them. Something is different about these two; I can almost sense it from where I'm sitting.

"Why did my dad invite them?" Jacob mutters more to himself than us, he huffs before standing up and walking over to where Billy and Charlie are talking near the fire.

"Who are they?" I ask as I nod my head towards the two men. Both of them are shirtless and at the top of their right arms are identical tribal tattoos.

"Sam and Paul" Embry answers quietly "Sam is actually ok its Paul you've got to watch out for. He has a really bad temper. Do you remember when he beat that kid up at school last week?" he says to Quil and I half listen to Embry's reply. Instead I concentrate on the two men who are no longer messing around but standing stock-still and looking directly at me. They both have scowls on their faces and one of them is taking deep breaths, almost like he is trying to calm himself down.

"What is she?" the one who is taking deep breaths snarls to the other. I watch as he visibly shakes and I tense as he takes a step towards me.

"Paul calm down" the other one orders as he rests a hand on Paul's shoulder to prevent him moving any further.

"She is not human Sam I can smell her from here" he spits towards me before Sam steps in front of him effectively blocking him from my view as he starts to move towards me again.

What was it he said about being able to smell me? Sniffing the air I try to catch a whiff of what he is talking about but the only thing I can smell is the fire, food and delicate scent of my perfume.

"That may be so but this not the time nor the place so go cool off" when Paul doesn't move an inch I hear Sam whisper "now" angrily which for some reason makes the man storm towards the woods; glaring at me the entire way. I glower right back at him with a taunting smirk on my face. He soon disappears from my sight though when he passes through the tree line.

Sensing that I'm still being watched I look back towards Sam "We need to talk" he says whilst looking directly as me, already knowing that I can hear him. I nod in agreement "Tuesday La Push beach five o'clock. Come alone" he adds before walking off in the same direction as Paul.

I sit there and ponder over everything that has just happened. If they know something is different about me then am I right to assume that they are not human either. I mean how else can they have known I wasn't and also be able to smell me, I mean what is all that about. And could they have something to do with that awful smell I've been having to endure all night. I guess I'm just going to have to wait until Tuesday to find out.

"I'm just going to see my uncle for a minute" I say to Quil and Embry who are now talking about their schools next football game. Walking over to Charlie I notice him talking to a man I don't recognize near the fire. I want to leave now because the nagging feeling is starting to give me a headache.

"Filthy mutts" the voice spits in disgust.

"Charlie" I say as I stop beside him, as he notices me he pulls me closer towards him and as he does a bit of sauce drops onto his jacket from the burger he's been eating.

"Harry this is my niece Bella, Bella this is Harry Clearwater" he introduces us whilst hopelessly trying to rub the now stained sauce off his jacket.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Clearwater and I'll get you cloth for that Charlie" I say pointing to the stain he is now trying to scratch off with his nail.

"Thanks" he mutters, embarrassment lacing his words.

XXX

"So much for leaving," I mutter to myself as I make my way into the house. I quickly find the kitchen because the house is even smaller than it looks from the outside. Picking up the rag that's beside the sink I wet it under the tap before rinsing it out. I turn to head back outside but I feel something hit my body accompanied by a small "Oomph" and then the sound of something making contact with the stone floor.

Looking down I see the most beautiful girl sprawled out on the floor "I'm so sorry" I quickly apologize whilst throwing the cloth into the sink and wiping my hands on my jeans before offering them to her.

"No its fine I should have been paying attention to where I was going" she says as she starts to dusting herself off and I take the time to appreciatively look her over. She has long dark hair that reaches the middle of her back, sun kissed skin and as she finally looks up I see the dark brown pools of her eyes.

"I'm Bella, Bella Swan" I say lamely, did I really just quote James Bond? I mentally scold myself but she just chuckles.

"Leah Clearwater" she greets in return as she looks me over before meeting my eyes again with a smirk on her face "you want to head back outside?"

"Sure" I mumble nervously. We make our way out and as we do Leah takes me by the hand and leads me away from the fire. We both sit down on a bench that is just on the other side of the tree line, I can still see everyone else but they will have difficulty seeing us.

"So you're from Seattle?" I hear her say from beside me, frowning I turn towards her and as I do my leg presses against hers. I can feel the heat radiating from her body through her jeans and into me; I can tell for some reason that her temperature is slightly high.

"How do you know that?" I ask, making eye contact with her for the first time since we sat down. I'm trying to ignore the sensation that her warmth is creating as it flows into me but damn it's hard.

"It's a small town," she says before letting out a deep sigh, her piercing stare leaving me and instead fixing onto the fire. I watch as the flames flicker in her dark eyes and I can tell by her reaction to her own words that she must be unhappy here "so how are you liking the place so far?" she says, quickly changing the subject.

"It's ok, I think, I mean I've only been here a day" I stutter, a little startled by the quick turn in conversation.

"How old are you?" she asks, her inquiring stare once again fixing back on me.

"Seventeen, you?"

"Eighteen, so are you going to Forks High?"

"Mhm" I answer and just as I do I hear my uncle shouting for me "sorry he probably wants to leave" I mumble as we get up off the bench and make our way towards him. He's talking to Billy again and he only stops when we reach him.

"See you've made a new friend, is that why you forgot to get me something?" he asks whilst pointing to his stained jacket with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah" I answer, quickly ducking my head in embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Leah smiling at my uncle before turning her attention back onto me.

"It was nice meeting you Bella. We should hang out sometime"

"Yeah" I repeat and she just chuckles before saying goodbye to my uncle and heading towards her family.

"Bella? Bella?" Charlie almost shouts.

"What?" I answer as he looks at me suspiciously and then to where Leah is standing watching us.

"You ready to go?" nodding my head we make our way over towards the cruiser, Charlie saying goodbye to his friends on the way.

The ride home is slow and painful, my shoulder has started to hurt again and this is the worst it has ever been. Shifting in my seat I let out a small gasp from the pain that is shooting up my arm "Bella are you ok?" Charlie asks frantically whilst reaching over to squeeze my shoulder.

"I'm fine" I manage through clenched teeth. As soon as we pull up outside the house I jump out the car; which hasn't come to complete stop, and rush up the front steps and into the house.

"BELLA"

"I'm going to bed Charlie just leave me alone" I snap and I cant help but feel guilty but the pain that is coursing through my body at the moment wont let me stop and apologize.

Stepping into my room I quickly shed my clothes and open my window. The breeze feeling like piercing needles to my overheated skin. Looking out into the starless sky I see that the moon is almost full. Sighing I feel my body being called by it, opening my mouth wide I feel my fangs grow and my breathing starting to increase. Closing my eyes I roll my shoulder that have started to ache painfully.

Suddenly I realize what is happening and with a gasp I quickly stumble back away from the window. Turning around I go to stand in front of my full-length mirror that is in the corner of my room. I stand there in nothing but my bra and underwear, my face looking pale and drained, my eyes now small slits with sky blue irises.

Slowly I open my mouth and see that my top fangs have grown about two inches whilst my bottoms are an inch longer than normal. Closing my mouth quickly I run to the window and yank the curtains across, effectively blocking out the night.

Sitting down on the end of my bed I start to calm myself down, trying to think of nothing in particular and it takes around an hour before I'm finally able to go and use the restroom before bed.

Whilst I sleep that night I dream of running through the woods, free from my slow and pitiful human form. The breeze flowing through my fur, tilting my head upwards I look up towards the bright, full moon and howl into the night.

A/N – Next chapter we will meet Alice and the other Cullen's, plus the arrival of Quinn.


End file.
